MWORKS: A Domestic Alternative to MATLAB – Have You Tried It?

Domestic software needs support from the Chinese people. Initially, it may not be very user-friendly, but as more people use it and report issues, the manufacturers continuously improve it, making it better over time. The early days of WPS were similar; it has now become the officially designated software, and many places no longer use Office. I haven’t used Office for many years either.While wandering in the school library hall, I saw new books purchased this year displayed there. I casually flipped through them and unexpectedly found a book related to simulation. Upon opening it, I was surprised to discover that there is already domestic software similar to MATLAB, called MWORKS! I had never heard of it, let alone used it. Am I out of the loop?

MWORKS is a scientific computing and system modeling simulation platform developed by Suzhou Tongyuan Soft Control Information Technology Co., Ltd. It is considered an important choice for domestic industrial software to replace foreign counterparts (such as MATLAB/Simulink).

The goal of MWORKS is to become an integrated environment covering the entire process from modeling, simulation, analysis to code generation. What are its core advantages and features? The most significant is the various restrictions imposed by the Americans and the need for self-technology confidentiality! Let’s look at other factors.

1. Completely Independent Kernel:

• The biggest highlight is its completely independent Modelica compilation and solving kernel. Modelica is an open, object-oriented modeling language for physical systems, particularly suitable for complex modeling of multi-domain physical systems (such as mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, thermodynamic, control, etc.). This means that MWORKS does not rely on foreign simulation kernels, solving the “bottleneck” risk.

• MWORKS.Sysplorer: This is its core product, primarily comparable to Simulink, but based on Modelica, providing stronger multi-domain physical system modeling capabilities. For complex mechatronic system modeling, it is often more intuitive and efficient than Simulink.

• MWORKS.Syslab: This can be seen as a scientific computing environment comparable to MATLAB, offering powerful mathematical computation, data analysis, and visualization capabilities, supporting common scripting programming.

• MWORKS has been widely used in fields with high simulation and safety requirements, such as aerospace, vehicles, energy, and robotics. Many domestic military research institutes, large state-owned enterprises, and universities are using it for research and development.

• It supports domestic operating systems (such as Kylin OS, Tongxin UOS) and domestic CPUs, which is a necessity for some organizations.

Until now, I have not used this software. This semester, the course load is not particularly heavy, but it is exhausting (elective courses often have only a few students). When the winter break comes, I will take the time to use it. With the increasing pace of software localization, using domestic software for simulation is inevitable! If the organization or project has clear requirements for “domestic replacement,” then MWORKS is the best choice. It is one of the most mature and reliable options and should be actively learned and adopted. Many confidential units have probably already started using it.

If you are an engineer or researcher engaged in multi-domain physical system (mechatronic, fluid, thermal coupling) modeling, MWORKS.Sysplorer is definitely worth a try; its modeling capabilities may surprise you. If you are a seasoned user of MATLAB/Simulink, heavily relying on its extensive toolbox and community, then fully transitioning to MWORKS may cause some growing pains. It is recommended to adopt a gradual strategy! Try using MWORKS on non-core projects or new projects to gradually accumulate experience while retaining MATLAB for specific tasks. If you are a student or individual user, learning MWORKS is a valuable skill for understanding modeling and simulation principles or preparing for future employment in companies with localization requirements. However, if your goal is to engage in academic exchanges (global standard MATLAB) or quickly complete projects, MATLAB may still be the more convenient choice. In summary, domestic software needs support from the Chinese people; this article is not an advertisement but a heartfelt appeal. Of course, the developing company must continue to improve, addressing bugs as they arise and timely releasing new versions, which is the healthy path for software development.